In today’s world, implementing a carbon reduction plan is crucial for businesses looking to reduce their carbon footprints. Taking steps to mitigate the impacts of climate change is vital if we want to manage the rate of global warming. The current targets for 2030 are not being met, with the continuation of current commitments leading to a temperature rise of up to 3.1 degrees. Therefore, it is important for businesses with a large carbon footprint to reduce their emissions where they can through a productive carbon reduction plan.
Throughout this blog post, we’ll dive into what a carbon reduction plan is and how they can be simplified in order to make the process quicker and easier for your business.
What Is A Carbon Reduction Plan?
A carbon reduction plan is a document which explains how your business will achieve Net Zero. All carbon reduction plans contain the key MARTOC components, which are necessary in order for a reduction plan to gain certification from a third party.
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What does Net Zero mean?
The term ‘Net Zero’ refers to the state in which a company has reduced their carbon emissions to the absolute minimum, and have removed whatever carbon emissions still remain.
“The truth is the natural world is changing. And we are totally dependent on that world. It provides our food, water and air. It is the most precious thing we have and we need to defend it.”
David Attenborough
What is included in a Carbon Reduction Plan?
Carbon reduction plans can come in all different shapes and sizes, some longer than others. Typically, a carbon reduction plan will include the following:
- Section 1: Contains a cover page clearly stating that this is a Carbon Reduction Plan compliant with PPN 06/21, the company name, and date range which it covers.
- Section 2: A statement, normally from a company CEO or director, explaining your environmental strategy.
- Section 3: Measurement of your carbon footprint. This measurement includes what your carbon footprint is, broken down in line with Scope 1, 2 and 3. Here, you can also include commentary on figures from previous years as comparisons.
- Section 4: Your aim to reduce your emissions by X% in a certain time period. For example, a 50% reduction in carbon reductions by 2030.
- Section 5: Your carbon reduction plans. These plans should include the details of the actions you will take, the emissions you aim to save and time frame, alongside the discussion of potential challenges and how they can be overcome.
- Section 6: Tracking your progress over recent years and providing commentary on your data.
- Section 7: Offsets and removals, including what you are doing to remove the emissions that you are generating.
- Section 8: Certify and commit. Include accreditation from a third party and written commitment from a senior director within your company.
How Can You Simplify Your Carbon Reduction Plan?
Carbon reduction plans can take a long time without a software which can help speed up getting your data. To help with this problem, it is a good idea to get yourself some software to speed up the carbon accounting practice.
How Can Carbon Accounting Platforms Help?
- Carbon accounting platforms can help save you time and money. With the help of a platform, you will not have to spend time and money creating your own systems and maintaining up to date factors.
- Additionally, carbon accounting platforms ensure environmental compliance.
- Platforms contain data automations and AI workflows which can focus on making your sustainability efforts more effective and accurate.
- Essentially, carbon accounting platforms take the headache out of carbon compliance, making it easier, faster, and more cost-effective.
Phase 1 – The Net Zero catapult
The Net Zero catapult is designed to make it easier to get started with your Carbon Reduction Plan if you have a shortage of data for your carbon emissions. It involves making an initial assessment based upon assumptions.
For example, instead of asking for precise data relating to flights taken in the past year (including origin, destination and class of each flight), ask:
“Roughly, how many short haul flights were taken this year?”
This question is a lot simpler to answer and allows us to begin to get an idea of the size and shape of your carbon footprint faster. As your data becomes more available, initial estimates can be replaced with more accurate figures.
Phase 2 – The MARTOC Method
Following a process such as the MARTOC method can help simplify your carbon reduction plan further. These were summarised previously, in what should be included in your carbon reduction plan.
M: Measurement of your carbon footprint.
A: Your Aim to reduce your emissions by X% in a certain time period.
R: Reductions. This includes your carbon reduction plans.
T: Track your progress over recent years and provide commentary on your data.
O: Offsets and removals, including what you are doing to remove the emissions that you are generating.
C: Certify and Commit. Include accreditation from a third party and written commitment from a director in your company.
Phase 3 – Maintenance
Carbon Reduction Plans are re-published annually. The preparation for your first plan always takes the longest. It is important to maintain your Carbon Reduction Plan in order to annually assess your environmental impact, and identify areas for improvement.
To Summarise…
Overall, having a Carbon Reduction Plan in place is vital for companies who are striving towards sustainability. In the UK, it is a legal requirement for companies with over 250 employees and a turnover of £36 million or more. More information can be found on the UK government website.
To simplify your carbon reduction plan, the main two things you can do are:
- Get yourself some software. A carbon accounting platform such as Enistic can help speed up the process and take the headache out of carbon compliance.
- Following a process such as the MARTOC method can help streamline the sustainability outcomes that you are aiming for as a business.
If you want to find out more about how you can simplify your Carbon Reduction Plan, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
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